Iranian nuclear talks resume

Talks resumed over Iran’s nuclear programme hours after negotiators abandoned a deadline to reach the outline of a deal.

However, as the discussions dragged on, three of the six foreign ministers involved left the talks and prospects for agreement remained uncertain.

US secretary of state John Kerry claimed enough progress had been made to warrant an extension after six days of intense bartering, and huddled with his British and German counterparts in the Swiss town of Lausanne to continue a marathon effort to hammer out details of a framework accord.

The foreign ministers of China, France and Russia left Lausanne overnight, although the significance of their absence, particularly when the broader group meets Iranian foreign minister Mohammed Javad Zarif, is not clear.

After the talks broke, Mr Zarif said solutions to many of the problems had been found and documents attesting to that would soon be drafted. Other officials were more sceptical.

Asked how high the chances of success were, German foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said: “I cannot say”.

Although the Chinese, French and Russian ministers left their deputies in charge, Mr Kerry postponed his planned departure to stay in Lausanne, and an Iranian negotiator said his team would stay “as long as necessary” to clear the remaining hurdles.

Officials say their intention is to produce a joint statement outlining general political commitments to resolving concerns about Iran’s nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief, and their intention to begin a new phase of negotiations to get to that point.